5 Steps to Create the Perfect Workspace at Home

We have been designing a lot of home offices this year. It seems like more and more people are working from home these days and this has spiked the demand for carving functional and beautiful work spaces within the home.

In my last post I shared a step to step guide on how to decorate a home office. Since no two projects are alike, I am going to take you through the same process but with a different client and a different work space. The beauty of this exercise is that you realize how easy the design process can be if you follow our step to step guide, and what amazing results it can yield. Follow these 5 steps to create the perfect workspace at home and create a unique, personal and beautiful space that defines YOU!

1. Declutter- Which existing pieces should be incorporated in the new design?

Determine which pieces of furniture and items are work related and need to be incorporated into the design of your home office. Don’t be afraid of getting rid of things- you need to make room for the new! Our client was not attached to any of the pieces in his current home office, except for a hutch that was a family heirloom.The hutch was heavy, bulky and a bit old looking for the new space, so we weren’t quite sure how we were going to incorporate it into the design. Keep reading, we will reveal what we did with this piece and how fabulous it looks now! This project was one of those fun ones where we got to start from scratch and follow our project through, from concept to implementation. There is nothing better for an interior designer than seeing your client’s vision come to life.

2. What is your style?

Defining your style and having a vision of what your finished space should look like is probably the most important part of the design process. Remember you don’t need to know the specifics-that is why you have hired an interior designer- but you do need to know the big picture, the mood, the atmosphere and the general aesthetic you desire for your space. We asked our client to create a Pinterest board to show us images he found visually compelling and attractive. Our client happens to be a very busy man and one not prone to go on Pinterest or any other kind of social media. He did on the other hand, have a very clear mental picture of how he wanted his space to look like and what his likes and dislikes were.That works too: his desired look was a modern, minimalist workspace that portrayed his love of travel and airplanes.

3. How is the space supposed to work for you?

Ask yourself how you will be using the space and what your requirements for the space are. Are you handling clerical tasks, sketching, meeting with clients or building spreadsheets? Once you have answered this question you will have a better idea of what your needs are in terms of storage, furniture and technology. In our case, our client’s work only required the use of a laptop, cellular phone and a good reading chair. No other technical requirements were necessary, as the laptop was connected to a wireless printer that was in a different room. Good lighting was a must as he spent many hours a day sitting in front of the computer.

4. Address your Issues

Make a list of issues or aspects of the room that are currently not working for you and why. This will give you a very specific TO-DO list that should solve majors issues/problem in the space. It can be as easy as taking the plantation shutters down to let more natural light in or simply acknowledging that you will need more storage space for your files. In our case, since we were basically starting from scratch in this project, there were very few issues to address. Our major design issue was deciding on the location of a fireplace my client desired in the room. After doing some initial space planning, it was clear to both my client and I that there was only one wall where we could build a fireplace. Pretty straight forward! The rest was easy.

5. Making it look pretty and pulling it all together

Once we had all the requirements for the space and we knew our client’s desired design aesthetic and atmosphere we set out to create a design concept. A concept is more than just picking a paint color or furniture, it is about creating a vision, outlining the big picture so that at the end the design is everything you imaged and more.

Our concept was to create a soothing, minimalist space with a somewhat masculine flair incorporating art pieces from our client’s travels. To start the design and anchor the space, we added a beautiful fireplace with a white mantel and a black hearth to the room.

The next big find was an over-sized black and white tryptic of an airplane. We found it at Highpoint in one of the showrooms and knew immediately this was the perfect piece for this space. It sets the tone for the design and depicts our client’s love for airplanes. How much more perfect can it get?

We wanted the space to be personal and unique and therefore integrated the family hutch into the design. We took the upper part of the hutch off, dramatically reducing the scale and making it more suitable for this smaller space. We then had it refinished in a black satin black paint color to make it look masculine and modern. To finish the look, we updated the hardware and got some chunky, metal, modern looking pulls that made our piece fresh and exciting.

A small sized modern desk with beautiful metal legs was the perfect addition to the room. Its beauty and size allowed us to float it in the middle of the space.

Our client had a collection of menus from airplane travels around the world and we decided to frame some of them and use them as artwork. The result? Beautiful and highly personal.

To finish the space, we added the unexpected touch: a modern yellow reading chair that adds interest and a punch of color to the space. If you ask me, I think every room needs that unexpected touch, that element that brings everything a little out of balance.. We took the heavy plantation shutters down and installed amazing black and white drapery panels that frame the windows and give the space a polished, finished look. A large pendant, strategically placed on top of the desk, illuminates the work surface and adds a layer of luxury to the room.

Outcome Achieved:

A modern, minimalist home office that perfectly reflects my client’s personality. Create a work space that reflects YOUR design aesthetic and one that inspires and motivates YOU! Thinking about remodeling your work space? Follow the 5 steps to create the perfect workspace at home, or gives us a call- we can help!